Don't give money to the taxman

One reader, Hesperus, said: "I have to admit to feeling something of a fool for bothering to save these days.

"Interest rates are so low and after the Cyprus disaster I now feel as if my hard-saved money is vulnerable."

But Kevin Mountford, head of banking at MoneySupermarkert, said: "You'd be throwing money away to the taxman if you didn't take advantage."

He added: "A number of providers have announced new rates in the last few weeks, and finally we're seeing more competitive rates emerge.

"Due to falling savings rates, we are now beginning to see more people opting for fixed-rate ISAs over easy-access cash ISAs. While the rates on these products are more generous, savers need to be prepared to lock the money away as they cannot access it during the term of the bond.

"For those who cannot afford to lock money away, you can still get rates five times that of base rate on easy-access cash ISAs."

He said it is worth planning ahead for the next tax year as well – when the allowance increases to £11,520.